The Hungarian Author László Krasznahorkai Receives the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literary Arts
The coveted Nobel Prize in Literature for the year 2025 has been awarded to Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as announced by the committee.
The Committee praised the author's "powerful and prophetic collection that, in the midst of cataclysmic terror, reasserts the force of art."
A Legacy of Bleak Writing
Krasznahorkai is known for his dark, melancholic novels, which have won many prizes, such as the 2019 National Book Award for international writing and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.
Many of his books, including his fictional works Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been adapted into feature films.
Early Beginnings
Hailing in a Hungarian locale in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first gained recognition with his mid-80s initial work his seminal novel, a dark and hypnotic portrayal of a disintegrating countryside settlement.
The work would later earn the Man Booker International Prize honor in translation many years later, in 2013.
A Unique Prose Technique
Commonly referred to as postmodern, Krasznahorkai is known for his lengthy, intricate sentences (the twelve chapters of the book each are a one paragraph), apocalyptic and melancholic themes, and the kind of persistent intensity that has led reviewers to liken him to literary giants like Kafka.
This work was notably transformed into a seven-hour movie by filmmaker Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a long working relationship.
"He is a significant author of grand narratives in the Central European heritage that includes Kafka to Bernhard, and is marked by absurdism and grotesque excess," said Anders Olsson, leader of the Nobel committee.
He portrayed Krasznahorkai’s style as having "evolved into … smooth structure with lengthy, intricate sentences devoid of periods that has become his hallmark."
Critical Acclaim
Susan Sontag has described the author as "the contemporary Hungarian expert of end-times," while Sebald commended the universality of his outlook.
Only a few of Krasznahorkai’s works have been translated into the English language. The critic Wood once noted that his books "get passed around like valuable artifacts."
Worldwide Travels
Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been influenced by journeys as much as by his writing. He first exited communist Hungary in 1987, residing a period in the city for a scholarship, and later was inspired from Asia – notably Mongolia and China – for works such as a specific work, and his book on China.
While working on this novel, he journeyed extensively across European nations and stayed in Allen Ginsberg’s New York residence, describing the famous writer's backing as vital to finishing the novel.
Author's Perspective
Asked how he would explain his work in an interview, Krasznahorkai said: "Characters; then from letters, words; then from these words, some brief phrases; then additional phrases that are more extended, and in the primary exceptionally extended paragraphs, for the span of decades. Elegance in language. Enjoyment in hell."
On readers discovering his work for the initial encounter, he added: "If there are individuals who are new to my novels, I would not suggest a particular book to peruse to them; instead, I’d suggest them to venture outside, settle at a location, maybe by the banks of a creek, with nothing to do, nothing to think about, just being in quiet like rocks. They will eventually come across a person who has encountered my works."
Literature Prize History
Prior to the declaration, oddsmakers had listed the favourites for this year’s award as an avant-garde author, an experimental Chinese author, and Krasznahorkai.
The Nobel Prize in Writing has been given on over a hundred previous occasions since the early 20th century. Current recipients have included Annie Ernaux, Dylan, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Louise Glück, Peter Handke and Olga Tokarczuk. Last year’s honoree was the South Korean writer, the Korean writer most famous for her acclaimed novel.
Krasznahorkai will formally be presented with the medal and diploma in a event in the month of December in Stockholm, Sweden.
More to follow
